Monday, January 30, 2012

Looking Ahead

2011 was a year of change for me, and it seems that 2012 is continuing the trend.

A lot has been happening, to put it mildly.* Two main occurrences deserve particular attention. First, my grandfather has been living with us since early December as we wait for a room to open up for him at an assisted living facility. Second, my mom started a new job in Atlanta today.

The fact that my parents will be leaving the house they've had for the last 18 years has brushing on the edges of my consciousness for the last couple months, when it became clear that my mom would be taking this new job. But the arrival of my grandpa put that in the back of my mind. As his departure looms closer, though, I'm starting to think more about what this change means for me.

Now, I haven't technically lived in Indiana for the last three years. That being said, my parents' house has been my permanent address, it's where I've kept all my belongings, and it's where I've returned in between my gigs with AmeriCorps and the farm. And although I haven't been here full-time for a while, I've always assumed that I'd eventually end up in Indianapolis, whenever that far-away concept of "settling down" becomes a reality. My friends are here, after all, and until recently, my family was as well. It's home.

But now I have to face the notion that, when my job at Clear Spring Creamery ends in August and I have only a few weeks before the start of grad school, I will have to return here and do the impossible. To wit: decide what I have that's worth keeping and somehow get it to my new digs in Pittsburgh. Sever my ties to a home that has been with me since I was eight. Realize that I don't get any more "summer breaks" where I can just come home for a month or two and rest on my laurels until I figure out what comes next. Not in Indianapolis, anyways.